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The ENGAGE Podcast

Subscribe to The ENGAGE Podcast to hear experts from across the social good community share best practices, tips and must-know trends that will help organizations increase their impact. Formerly called The sgENGAGE Podcast.
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Now displaying: Page 7
May 30, 2019

Digital transformation may sound like a buzzword, but the reality is that it fundamentally changes the way organizations operate and innovate.

Special guest Mike Gianoni, president & CEO of Blackbaud, joins us for our 100th episode to explore the topic of digital transformation and how it drives business performance. Listen in to hear what Mike has to say about how technology has changed the way organizations run over the past few decades, why successful digital transformation requires more than just new technology, and how leaders can champion digital transformation across their organizations.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Digital transformation over the past 30+ years
  • How digital transformation has changed various industries, such as banking and farming
  • How digital transformation drives business performance
  • What social good organizations can learn from the digital transformation of private sector companies
  • Barriers to digital transformation in social good organizations
  • Why digital transformation needs to be a team sport
  • The responsibility of the C-suite in leading digital transformation across their organization
  • Examples of social good organizations that have been positively impacted by digital transformations

Resources:

Mike Gianoni

Blackbaud

Quotes:

“Obviously, digital transformation impacts all of us. It’s changed our lives significantly.”

“Digital transformation is not just about the software and the IT, it's about moving the whole company in a different direction.”

“It's not just the IT person's job to drive digital transformation. It's actually the CEO's job or the executive director's job to drive it because you have to change everything, not just the software.”

 “To really get ahold of this, everything has to be rethought. Every part of the business, every aspect of the business…financial management to mission delivery, fundraising, all of it.”

May 23, 2019

Nonprofits and other social good organizations face many challenges, but one that can be seen over and over again comes from inside the organization. Different departments, such as development and communications, don’t effectively engage with each other, hampering their ability to reach out to and engage with donors as successfully as they could.

Today’s guest is Sam Stern, CEO of Magnify Good, a communications consultancy that helps social sector organizations magnify the good of the work they do. He joins podcast host Steve MacLaughlin of Blackbaud to talk about how organizations can transform by focusing on working more connectedly across departments, particularly between development and communications. Listen in to hear what Sam has to say about where to start to increase inter-departmental collaboration, how creating personas can help organizations operate more effectively, mirroring the donor’s journey with evergreen content, and the importance of technology to bring all the pieces together.

 Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Looking inward for problems rather than focusing on external factors
  • Steps for helping departments work better together
  • Developing personas to understand the donor’s journey
  • Creating meaningful and lasting content
  • The role that technology plays and shifting organizational thinking around digital transformation

Resources: 

Sam Stern

Magnify Good

Connective Impact eBook

Quotes:

“What would happen if we all focused on doing our work together in a fashion that would be more effective and lead to better results?”

“Having this persona in the front of your mind all the time is going to help you get to the point where you can even test these things to see what’s working best and what’s not.”

“How do we need to think about this, organizationally, and make decisions as to whether this technology is actually just going to be more work and not really pay off any benefits, or if it’s really going to empower us.”

May 16, 2019

Everyone knows that social media has a massive impact on today’s culture, so how can social good organizations effectively leverage it to engage supporters? What does your organization need to do to execute an effective social media strategy? What benchmarks should you be tracking your performance against? How can you improve if you’re not where you want to be? The guests in this episode of The sgENGAGE Podcast are going to help answer these questions.

Today Jocelyn Wright, Instructional Designer and Jenny Toledo, Instructor at Blackbaud University, join your host Roz Lemieux, Director of Blackbaud Labs, to talk about some of the highlights from the M+R Benchmarks Report and what they mean for your organization. Listen in to learn why social media tracking matters, what development professionals need to know about Facebook fundraisers, and what to expect from Instagram’s new donate stickers.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Highlights from the 2019 M+R Benchmarks Report  
  • Why social media matters to social good organizations and why it’s important to track
  • Social media vocabulary and best practices
  • What organizations should be watching for on Facebook and Instagram
  • Insights into online monthly membership programs
  • How to brush up on social media strategy and take your organization to the next level

Resources:

Jocelyn Wright

Jenny Toledo

M+R Benchmarks Report 2019

Blackbaud University Organizational Best Practices

Blackbaud University Organizational Best Practices Course Listing

Quotes:

“We need to use social media to our leverage. That’s where everyone is. That’s where everyone is engaging and talking with our organizations. We have to be where the people are.”

“We have seen that video content is actually the most engaging across all platforms.”

“If you understand your audience, you understand what message they resonate with, what they connect with.”

May 9, 2019

What do finance and development have in common? A goal to keep the organization on the path to successfully fulfilling its mission. So, it's critical that finance and development are aligned both on the goal and on the path they'll take to getting there. Today’s episode focuses on the learnings in Blackbaud’s Financial Management Toolkit, an expert guide for connecting finance and development as a strategic partnership.

Industry experts and Toolkit contributors Russell Pomeranz, president and CEO of Claverack Advisory Group; Lucy Morgan, director of MyFedTrainer.com; and Bess Hamilton Foley, chair of the Nonprofit Operating Reserves Initiative Workgroup, share best practices and tips for how finance and development can collaborate to determine the organization's path to mission success. Listen in to hear what they have to say about how finance and development should work together, coordinating a revenue strategy that includes grants and fundraising, and strategies for fundraising an operating reserve.

After the episode, access the webinars listed in the Resources section below to hear more from Russell, Lucy and Bess as well as other experts.

Topics Discussed in This Episode: 

  • How finance and development strengthen each other’s work
  • Taking a longer-term view at how finance and development should work together
  • Incentivizing the united front of finance and development
  • Importance of coordinating your revenue strategy between grants and fundraising
  • Focusing on transparency and accountability
  • Strategies for funding an operating reserve and why it’s important to have one

Resources:

Webinar: Getting Aligned on Finance and Mission Strategy

Finance and Fundraising Webinar Series

Financial Management Toolkit

Russell Pomeranz

Lucy Morgan

Bess Hamilton Foley

Quotes:

“Finance and development working together have the necessary financial and programmatic impact to build the mission-sustainable nonprofit however that mission adapts over time.” –Russell Pomeranz

“One of the parts of federal grants that we tend to forget about is just how big that purse is.” –Lucy Morgan

“An operating reserve helps to ensure that you can continue to reliably deliver critical mission services.” –Bess Hamilton Foley

May 2, 2019

Getting supporters to take action and engage with elected officials on policy issues can be a challenge, requiring organizations to start thinking outside the box. Learn from one social good organization how innovating and testing new tactics can help boost advocate engagement.

This episode of the sgENGAGE Podcast features an interview with Chris Masak, senior associate director of advocacy at the Alzheimer's Association. Chris shares how the Alzheimer’s Association has experimented to get more people engaged in Alzheimer’s advocacy. He also gives tips on how to identify people likely to take action on your cause and how to decide which methods of engagement to experiment with. Finally, Chris discusses the new tactics and technologies he is looking forward to trying next.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Chris’s insights on advocacy strategies for large and small organizations
  • Identifying the right potential advocates to engage with
  • How to determine what new engagement methods your organization should try
  • New technologies and advocate engagement tactics to get excited about

Resources: 

Chris Masak

Alzheimer’s Association

Grassroots Galvanizer Playbook

Quotes:

“When it comes to the advocacy work, if you’ve taken an action recently, if you’ve spoken out on an issue and done it in a way that we like, those are the people that we want to identify first.”

“It’s the long game that we’re ultimately looking for. Some of the stuff that has come out as beta tests or trial runs, those are the things that have had a lasting impact on our movement.”

“Even the biggest organizations probably have fewer resources than you’d expect when it comes to certain things. There’s some duct tape and glue going on no matter what.”

Apr 25, 2019

We spend as much as 20% of our day doing manual repetitive tasks, and those manual tasks often end up costing organizations a lot of money in lost productivity, fraud and errors. So how can social good organizations fix this? Enter robotic process automation (RPA), a technology that automates repetitive processes and allows organizations to better control their expenses, increase their margins, and drive more revenue.

In this episode, Blackbaud’s RPA expert Louis Stratton explains what robotic process automation technology is, how it strengthens internal controls and why it benefits organizations to include it as part of their strategy. After listening to the episode, check out the webinar through the link below to learn even more about how RPA can influence your work.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • The state of business today and how much time and money is lost from manual repetitive tasks
  • The relationship between digital transformation and robotic process automation
  • The limitations preventing us from having more on-demand information
  • How RPA helps organizations strengthen internal controls
  • The future of robotic process automation
  • Examples of how organizations can be transformed through RPA

 Resources:

Louis Stratton

Webinar: Robotic Process Automation: What It Means for Your Organization

 Quotes:

 “We live in an era where digital transformation is radically changing the way we interact, work, and live.”

 “One thing that’s always constant is that hardware gets better, then software gets better.”

 “In business, the robot is the software.”

Apr 18, 2019

It’s easy to think of data as something that’s entirely neutral, but like most things, data is open to interpretation. It can be affected by human choices and by human biases, and often social good organizations don’t realize that they are working with biased data that ultimately affects how they achieve their mission.

Today’s guests are Vanice Dunn, director of equity, and Lane Trisko, director of digital and data strategy at Provoc. Vanice and Lane talked with Roz Lemieux, director of Blackbaud Labs, about their work helping social good organizations identify and remove bias in their data, and how data bias ultimately contributes to institutional racism. Listen in to hear what they have to say about what data bias looks like, common mistakes to be aware of, and strategies for overcoming data bias.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • What data bias is and how it presents
  • What it means to lead with an equity-first approach
  • How data bias contributes to inequity and institutional racism
  • Common issues that cause data bias
  • Strategies organizations can take to ensure their data is more equitable

Resources:

Lane Trisko

Vanice Dunn

Provoc

Quotes:

“I think that people have this misconception that if they approach with a data first approach or if they’re rooting their work in data that they’ve got it covered.” –Vanice Dunn

 “What you carry around as your own unconscious bias or your assumptions is going to find its way into those decisions.” –Lane Trisko

“Being more strategic and rooting out bias in the way that you allocate those resources that will be allocated regardless is in service of the mission that your nonprofit exists for.” –Vanice Dunn

Apr 11, 2019

You’ve probably heard a lot about persona-based marketing. But do you really know what it is? What are personas, how do you develop them, and what do you do with them? And should your organization even be worrying about incorporating personas into its marketing efforts? (hint…probably)

Rachel Clemens, chief marketing officer of branding and digital marketing agency Mighty Citizen, joins the podcast to talk about persona-based marketing can amplify a mission-driven organization’s marketing efforts. Listen to the episode to hear more about what function a persona serves, how organizations can identify the audiences they should create personas for, and how persona-based marketing differs from segmentation.

Bonus - you’ll also learn how your mission-driven organization can win $25,000 in free communications services from Mighty Citizen.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • The definition of persona-based marketing
  • How to get started incorporating personas into your marketing efforts
  • How to identify what personas your organization should prioritize creating
  • How Mighty Citizen uses personas into its own work
  • The differences between segmentation and persona-based marketing
  • Examples of organizations running great multichannel marketing campaigns
  • Resources for learning more about persona-driven marketing

Resources:

Rachel Clemens

Mighty Citizen Fundraising Campaign Metrics Template

Mighty Citizen Marketing Campaign Template

The Mighty Big Grant contest

The Next Generation of American Giving

Quotes:

“The purpose of them is to learn to see a person as an actual person that’s looking at your org, not as someone you’re just trying to sell to or talk to or get a donation from.”

“You’ll know you’ve interviewed enough people when you start to anticipate their responses to your questions.”

“We always say research kills opinions.”

Apr 3, 2019

Things are changing in the world of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Employee volunteerism is on the rise, and a variety of new trends in employee giving programs are taking hold. Today’s guest, Dustin Joost, VP of Sales and Marketing at YourCause (a Blackbaud company), joins the podcast to talk more about these trends and what they say about the state of CSR today.

Dustin discusses ins and outs of the newly published “2019 CSR Industry Review.” Listen in to hear about major report findings, what’s driving the rise in corporate volunteerism, and which statistics Dustin found surprising and exciting.  

 Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • The major trends highlighted in the report
  • Why employee volunteerism has been on the rise
  • How companies are engaging new employees in CSR
  • Strategies companies can employ to help drive donations to employee giving programs
  • The rise of peer-to-peer fundraising within corporations

Resources: 

Dustin Joost

2019 CSR Industry Review

Quotes: 

“Really what we’re trying to do is build the largest network of do-gooders to go out and make a meaningful impact in the world.”

“Some of the most impactful companies that we’ve seen are able to tie their community relations efforts into that first-day experience.”

“Peer-to-peer personalizes what fundraising means.”

Mar 28, 2019

How does unconscious bias interfere with the hiring process? It may be different than you think. Listen to this episode to learn more about how unconscious bias affects the workplace and how it can be overcome to create diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Today’s guest is Paula Brantner, president of PB Works Solutions, LLC and senior advisor to Workplace Fairness, a nonprofit organization working to promote and preserve employee rights that maintains the most comprehensive online resource for free information about workers' rights. Listen to the episode to hear what Paula has to say about strategies that organizations can use to reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process, tactics for reaching out to and recruiting diverse candidates, and the benefits of a more diverse workplace.

 Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Paula’s background and how she got involved in diversity and bias issues
  • What unconscious bias is and how it interferes with the hiring process
  • Strategies that organizations can use to eliminate unconscious bias and reach more diverse candidates
  • Tools and training that can help hiring managers identify implicit bias
  • Patterns that Paula sees when it comes to diversity issues in hiring
  • Benefits of working to remove unconscious bias and be more inclusive

Resources: 

Paula Brantner

Workplace Fairness

Project Implicit

Quotes:

“I really started paying attention to diversity and bias issues when I realized that a lot of times it’s very difficult to bring a lawsuit when you’ve encountered these in the workplace.”

“You may think you don’t discriminate, but these forces may be working in your brain based on your life experience even before you take any action against them.”

“When you actually get to the point of sorting and interviewing particular candidates, make sure you have a diverse group of people looking at the resumes.”

Mar 21, 2019

Cheryl Contee, CEO of Do Big Things and author of the upcoming book “Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Success,” joins the podcast to talk about digital innovation and how it can be used to increase stakeholder and supporter engagement. Listen to the episode to hear Cheryl and guest host Roz Lemiuex, Director of Blackbaud Labs, discuss what innovations can be used to help increase engagement, why online influencers are powerful, and how organizations can balance efficiency with innovation.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Examples of innovative campaigns Cheryl has seen
  • The power of online influencers and micro-influencers
  • Where should organizations start with digital ads
  • Why technology is a helpful tool but not necessarily a solution
  • How organizations are making space to take risks and innovate while remaining efficient
  • New technology and tactics emerging in 2019
  • What has surprised Cheryl while working on campaigns over the past year

Resources:

Cheryl Contee on Twitter

Do Big Things

Video interview: Cheryl talks about how Leveraging Video Content with No Budget

Quotes:

 “New power really does rely on reaching out to the new power players, and the new power players are online influencers.”

“What people do trust are their friends, their families, and the influencers who matter to them, particularly micro-influencers.”

“This is a time now when organizations need to be follower-led.”

Mar 14, 2019

How can fundraising professionals, especially those working for smaller organizations, improve their own fundraising skills? And what can organizations do better to attract and retain fundraising talent? 

To help explore this question, Jason Lewis, author of “The War for Fundraising Talent: And How Small Shops Can Win,” joins the podcast to talk about his ideas about arms-length fundraising, creating value for donors, and how organizations can empower fundraisers in ways that set them up for success and job satisfaction. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode: 

  • The problems with arms-length fundraising
  • Industrial versus artisanal approaches to fundraising
  • Creating value and expecting more from donors
  • Why a passion for the cause isn’t enough when it comes to fundraising
  • Recommendations for identifying candidates who are a good fit for fundraising in the interview or recruiting process
  • How employers can reduce burnout and turnover of fundraising talent 

Resources: 

Jason Lewis

Lewis Fundraising

The War for Fundraising Talent: And How Small Shops Can Win

Quotes: 

“Your local Starbucks knows how much initial volume they want to come through the door to purchase that first cup of coffee, and they’re going to spend quite a serious amount of money to get that first consumer, that first person to purchase that first cup of coffee.” 

“At some point, we have to recognize that generally speaking, what we expect of them is more every time we reach out to them.” 

“Passion can play out in a very harmonious way, but it can also play out in a very problematic way.”

Mar 7, 2019

Many nonprofit organizations struggle with communications. A lot of times, this problem is caused by too many complications in their strategy.

This episode’s guest is Michael Beall, Principal Consultant and Communications Practice Leader at Accordant Philanthropy. Listen to the episode to learn what Michael has to say about how organizations can uncomplicate their communications strategy by prioritizing communications to different audiences, how budget fears affect communications, and how to test messaging to see what resonates with different donors.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How organizations often overcomplicate their communications
  • How organizations’ priorities shift when communicating with different audiences over time
  • How mixing messages rather than focusing on one audience at a time can overcomplicate messaging
  • What prevents organizations from doing their best work with a focused audience
  • Delivering active and passive content to donors in a face-to-face context
  • How to test messaging to see what resonates with donors

 

Resources:

Michael Beall

Article: Uncomplicate Your Communications Strategy

Webinar Series: Resources for Creating an Atmosphere of Engagement

 

Quotes:

“I think a simple exercise to do is to really list those potential priorities, those different audiences, and just assign who’s number one, who’s number two, who’s number three.”

“The interesting thing is that when you poll donors, they tell you the opposite – that they’re overwhelmed by frequency and by noise. And that really, that’s not what they’re looking for.”

“You’ve really got to test it out before you send it out.”

Feb 28, 2019

What is digital transformation, and how is it impacting fundraising in the social good community? What does digital transformation mean for those organizations themselves?

To talk about this topic, Brad Little, Managing Director of Consumer Solutions, joins the sgENGAGE Podcast with host Steve MacLaughlin. Listen to the episode to hear what Brad has to say about digital transformation tools, how personal connections matter, and what the rise of crowdfunding means for social good.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

Digital transformation tools

How consumer behavior is starting to transform the nonprofit sector

Why personal connections matter in fundraising

Finding the right way to share stories to the world in a way that inspires people to act

Why crowdfunding is accelerating, and what that means for social good organizations

 

Resources:

Brad Little

JustGiving

 

Quotes:

“Many of us would consider digital transformation much broader than trying to do digital things well.”

“Every industry, as we all know, is somewhat disrupted by not just the internet but the phones and access we have in our pockets every day.”

“Some of the work that we’re trying to do is find the way that we can help drive new supporters and net new donations that they maybe wouldn’t have gotten without using various softwares out there in the world that we might be able to produce.”

 

 

Feb 14, 2019

Why does fundraising matter so much for nonprofit organizations? What is the best way to measure how effective fundraising measures are? What do diversified fundraising programs look like? Today’s guests are joining the podcast to help answer these important questions.

Anne Wallestad is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BoardSource, and Andy Davis is the Director of Education at BoardSource. They join the podcast today to talk about diversified fundraising and metrics for fundraising success. Listen to the episode to hear what Anne and Andy have to say about the essential nature of fundraising for nonprofits, the best way to balance efficiency and risk in fundraising, and how organizations can measure their dependency quotient.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Why fundraising is essential for nonprofit organizations to survive
  • Educating donors about why their donations matter
  • Avoiding underinvesting in organizations
  • Balancing risk and efficiency
  • How organizations can get started measuring dependency quotient
  • Understanding where the fundraising portfolio is at
  • Having productive conversations about risks and rewards with board members

Resources:

Anne Wallestad, President and Chief Executive Officer, BoardSource
Andy Davis, Director of Education, BoardSource

The Right Mix: How Diverse Income Models Influence Giving

Measuring Fundraising Effectiveness: Why Cost of Fundraising Isn't Enough

 

Quotes:

“Organizations do have to help donors get to know their organizations, share how their work is having an impact, share how a donors investment would have an impact.” –Anne Wallestad

“If you think about it just in terms of shorthand, cost of fundraising is a measure of efficiency, dependency quotient is a measure of risk.” –Anne Wallestad

“Everyone knows that your weight is a measurement in some way of how healthy a person is. But what if we were told that weight was the only thing that mattered, like sometimes is the case with cost of fundraising?” –Andy Davis



Feb 7, 2019

Have you ever read something that totally changes your perspective on a subject? When it comes to fundraising, it’s not uncommon for people in the nonprofit sector to have  set ideas about the process of fundraising, but today’s guest is challenging those perspectives.

Greg Warner is the author of the book Engagement Fundraising: How to Raise More Money for Less in the 21st Century. He joins the podcast today to talk about what prompted him to write the book and what engagement fundraising means for the nonprofit sector. Listen to the episode to hear what Greg has to say about why it’s important to take a more modern approach to fundraising, how to move from relationship fundraising to engagement fundraising, and what the first steps are toward engagement fundraising.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • What prompted Greg to write his book about engagement fundraising
  • Why a more modern approach is needed in many areas of fundraising
  • Myths of soliciting donations
  • Moving from relationship fundraising to engagement fundraising
  • The first step of engagement fundraising                                                                                                                                      

Resources:

Greg Warner

Engagement Fundraising: How to Raise More Money for Less in the 21st Century

Introducing the "Four Selfs" of Engagement Fundraising

The Four Selfs

 

Quotes:

“Things that the sector believed just were not true, especially from a donor’s perspective, but also from a technology perspective.”

“Engagement fundraising really focuses first and foremost on the consideration process that the donor goes through.”

“It’s not about moving donors, and it shouldn’t be, but that’s what people think. The key to success is to provide value in a way that helps donors move themselves forward in the giving consideration process.”

 

Jan 31, 2019

It’s clear that social media can be a powerful tool for social good. Online campaigns like #MeToo have been greatly effective at raising awareness and sparking action. But not every campaign is so effective, and social media activism can be polarizing and difficult to manage.

This episode’s guest is Susan McPherson, founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies. She joins the podcast  to talk  about hashtag activism, why some social media campaigns are successful while others aren’t, what social good organizations can do to help ensure the success of their social media campaigns, and how to appeal to members of Generation Z.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • When social media activism is powerful and when it is not
  • How social good organizations can make their campaigns  effective and lasting
  • Hashtag campaigns that Susan has seen succeed, and why they succeeded
  • How nonprofits will need to adapt to capture the attention of the upcoming generation

 

Resources:

Follow Susan on Twitter: @susanmcp1

McPherson Strategies

GRASSROOTS GALVANIZER: A modern playbook to mobilize, organize, fundraise and influence

 

Quotes:

“Social media can be an incredible way to scale reaction, to rapidly organize a message of dissent or awareness about an issue.”

“Remember, sometimes it’s OK if every campaign isn’t about getting people to make a donation."

“The most moving social campaigns are generally not associated with specific brands or organizations. They’re typically supported with a moment, feeling, or call to action.”

Jan 17, 2019

Today’s young people know that they can have a hand in shaping a better future and solving the world’s challenges, and they’re embracing their role by engaging in causes and supporting organizations and companies that align with their values.

This episode’s guest is Meredith Ferguson, the Managing Director of DoSomething Strategic. Listen to today’s conversation to hear more about DoSomething.org and DoSomething Strategic and how they are helping engage millions of young people in social change. Learn about how Generation Z is different from previous generations when it comes to social good, how social good organizations and companies can engage with this younger generation, and what makes young people gravitate toward causes.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How young people are engaging in social change today, and the biggest driver for them to get involved
  • How Generation Z is different from other generations when it comes to engaging in social impact
  • How nonprofits and other social good organizations can get young people involved
  • Examples of organizations that do a good job of engaging the younger generation
  • Best modes of communicating with young activists
  • How young people feel about brands taking stands
  • How companies can engage young employees in CSR initiatives
  • Resources for learning more about how to engage Gen Z

Resources:

Meredith Ferguson

Learn about DoSomething Strategic and DoSomething.org

Article: What Drives Gen Z: Is It the Experience or the Cause?


Quotes:

“DoSomething.org is the largest platform for young people and social change. We have 6 million members worldwide in 121 countries between the ages of 13 and 25.”

“The interesting thing is when we ask young people who is responsible for solving the world’s most pressing problems today, they said “citizens”. A plurality of them said, “we are.”

“If you’re not communicating via text, then you’re likely not activating as highly as you should.”

Jan 10, 2019

Work doesn’t mean the same thing now that it once meant. Workers have different motivations and skills, and organizations are changing their look in order to be more diverse and inclusive. What does that mean for the future of work?

In today’s episode, you’ll hear a session from the 2018 Social Innovation Summit facilitated by Rachel Hutchisson on the topic of “Skills, Brand, and Space: The Future of Work.” Listen to the conversation with Carina Wong, Senior Advisor, Innovation & Scale at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gary Bolles, Chair for the Future of Work, Singularity University as they answer questions about purpose and passion in the workplace, the changing skills required in today’s workplaces, and how workplaces themselves are changing.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • The intersection of what the individual employee and the organization want
  • Finding purpose in the workplace
  • Skills people need to be successful today and in the future
  • How organizations have changed and need to expand
  • Diversity and inclusion in the worksplace

Resources:

Carina Wong

Gary Bolles

Social Innovation Summit 2019

Watch this session on YouTube


Quotes:

“Working at the Gates Foundation, I know that I work at one of the most purposeful places in the world, and that it’s a privilege to be able to follow your purpose and passion.” –Carina Wong

“Engagement with work sort of runs this spectrum from mild disinterest to all the way through to feeling like it’s your mission in life.” –Gary Bolles

“Inclusion is simply the inevitable result of that kind of process – of opening up your thinking and realizing that only by having a diverse set of problem solvers will you be able to solve the problems of tomorrow.” –Gary Bolles


Jan 3, 2019

Social good organizations and private companies have many differences, but they also have many things in common and can benefit from some of the same strategies. Lean principles are being used more and more often among startups and tech companies, and social good organizations are alsolso seeing the value of these principles: thinking big, starting small, and seeking impact.

In today’s episode, Steve MacLaughlin talks with our guest Ann Mei Chang, author of the book Lean Impact: HJow to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good, about how some of these lean principles are being implemented in social good organizations. Listen in to hear what she has to say about transitioning to using lean principles, getting comfortable with failures, and ensuring that a successful program can scale.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How Ann Mei leverages her Silicon Valley background to help social good organizations achieve greater impact
  • How social good organizations can transition to using lean principles as an approach to solving problems
  • The core principles involved in lean  strategies
  • Setting big goals and getting comfortable with failure
  • Making a successful program that can scale, and learning how to iterate

Resources:

Ann Mei Chang

Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good


Quotes:

“I started to realize that while people get really excited about technology, what I think truly differentiates Silicon Valley are two things: one is the audacity of the ambitions in Silicon Valley, and the second is the pace of progress.”

“I think there are many, many organizations doing incredible work, but it’s still in the early adopter phase.”

“One of the things I like to say is it’s important to fall in love with your problem, not your solution.”

Dec 27, 2018

Digital transformation is a buzz word now in the social good space. But what does it actually mean? And why is it important that nonprofits and other social good organizations digitally transform?

In this episode, which was recorded live at bbcon, you’ll hear from Jim Daniell, the Chief Transformation Officer for NetHope, which works with nonprofits and other social good organizations to change the world through the power of technology.

Jim talks about what NetHope is doing with its Center for Digital Innovation, the non-technology related changes that are required for digital transformation, and how social good organizations can leverage technology to have a bigger social impact. Listen to the episode to hear more about how organizations can undertake their own digital transformations that push them and their impact to the next level.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • NetHope’s work and how they are connecting nonprofits with technology innovators to help change the world
  • Why digital transformation isn’t just about technology, and why it’s actually mostly about people and process
  • How nonprofits and funders can better work together to drive innovation that solves the world’s biggest problems
  • How organizations can start their own digital transformations, including by shifting their mindsets

Resources:

Jim Daniell

NetHope

Video: What is Digital Transformation?


Quotes:

“It turns out that international relief, the relief workers, the number one thing you need is data.”

“Information is a form of aid.”

“We often say, digital transformation is not about technology. It’s about people, process, and technology, and it’s mostly about people and process.”

 

Dec 20, 2018

Research has found that charitable donors who also give to political campaigns are more generous than donors who don’t give to political campaigns. But how do elections impact charitable giving overall, and what effect does gender have?

In today’s episode, we’ll hear from Jacqueline Ackerman, assistant director for Research and Partnerships at the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Listen to the episode to hear about the key findings of the Institute’s research, which types of organizations saw a spike in giving after the 2016 U.S. election, and how women and men give differently – and what that means for how nonprofits should target donors.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Research that the Women’s Philanthropy Institute has done into giving from a gender perspective
  • Key findings of research relating to the 2016 election in the U.S.
  • Why giving immediately following the election was lower than expected across charitable organizations overall
  • The difference between giving to progressive organizations generally and progressive organizations that were relevant to election issues.
  • The differences between women’s and men’s giving following the election
  • How organizations can think about and apply the data from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute’s research

Resources:

Jacqueline Ackerman

Women's Philanthropy Institute

Charitable Giving Around the 2016 Election: Does Gender Matter?

Infographic: Charitable Giving Around the 2016 Election: Does Gender Matter?


Notable Quotes:

“Our third key finding is that charitable giving after the 2016 election increased significantly for these relevant progressive charities.”

“What we tried to do was piece out the election effect from the typical end-of-the-year increase in giving that we would see anyway.”

“We know that women and men are motivated differently. Women tend to give to help others, men tend to focus on the benefits they accrue from giving.”

Dec 13, 2018

The end of the year, or the “season of giving,” is important for all types of social good organizations. Year-end appeals are powerful fundraising vehicles, create additional exposure for your organization, and offer an opportunity to connect with donors on how they’ve helped you throughout the year.

In this episode of The sgENGAGE podcast, Tanya Fitzgerald, Senior Customer Success Manager at Blackbaud, talks with Steve MacLaughlin about what organizations can do now to have successful end-of-year giving campaigns. Listen to the episode to hear what Tanya has to say about telling your impact story, using digital channels to drive end-of-year giving, and stewarding donors into 2019.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Driving additional end-of-year giving through various channels
  • Tips for leveraging #GivingTuesday and other existing campaigns for end-of-year fundraising
  • Making the donor the hero of the stories you share
  • What arts and cultural organizations do at the end of the year that other types of nonprofits can learn from
  • Recommendations for moving into 2019

Resources:

End of Year Fundraising Toolkit
Preparing for the Season of Giving: Steps to Ready Your Year-End Appeal
Tip Sheet: What to Do After End-of-Year Fundraising

Quotes:

“Everyone’s expecting to hear from you, so why not share your information with them?”

“I believe that immediately, as soon as that gift comes in, that stewardship plan should be in effect.”

“If you can continually steward throughout the year, your campaigns are going to go smoother as they come up.”

 

Dec 6, 2018

Nonprofits and social good organizations rely on volunteerism, making volunteers are one of the most important assets that an organization has. Today’s guest emphasizes the importance of volunteers and talks about how organizations can best manage and leverage those valued assets.

In today’s episode, recorded at bbcon 2018, Points of Light CEO Natalye Paquin talks about how the critical role that volunteers and volunteerism can have on advancing social good and achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Natalye also talks about the role of technology in facilitating and tracking the impact of volunteers, and how Points of Light and Blackbaud are collaborating to advance data, insights and measurement for volunteerism.


Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Points of Light’s new strategic plan
  • How nonprofits can leverage volunteers as one of their most valuable assets
  • How volunteers and volunteerism can support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • The role of technology in facilitating volunteerism, tracking data and  measuring impact
  • Why the sector needs a standard taxonomy to manage and measure volunteerism

Resources:


Notable Quotes from Natalye Paquin:

“We are really focused on better leveraging the power of people.”

“…over 30 percent of the workforce in the nonprofit sector is really contributions by volunteers. 58 percent of the output is by volunteers. Volunteers understand your mission personally, so they can be champions as well as donors.”

“This is really about creating a common language, a taxonomy, of how you measure and manage volunteers.”

 

Nov 29, 2018

Storytelling is important in the social good community. It’s through stories that donors become interested and engaged in an organization and its cause. It’s not enough to just tell the stories in words. Visual images help donors visualize and understand what the organizations they support are doing, and how their contributions make a difference.

Today’s guest joined the podcast to talk about how organizations can better incorporate visual elements into their storytelling. Ira Horowitz, the founder of Cornershop Creative, has worked in communications, fundraising, and advocacy for nearly 20 years. Listen to the episode to hear what Ira has to say about why visuals matter in storytelling, how to demonstrate to donors that they can be the heroes of the story, and how to match copy with the right visuals for maximum impact.


Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Why visual storytelling matters to fundraising
  • Ways that organizations can make donors the heroes of the stories they’re telling
  • Resources that organizations can use to get the visual images that they need
  • Matching the right copy and content with the right visual images
  • How to test and fine-tune a story over time
  • How to make use of imagery even when an organization has limited staff or resources
  • How visuals can help make data more comprehensible
  • Examples of great visual storytelling

Resources:

Ira Horowitz

Cornershop Creative


Quotes:

“Everybody knows the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s actually wrong, though. A picture is worth about 60,000 words because studies have shown that the human brain processes images about 60,000 times faster than plain text.”

“The studies I’ve seen have said that text accompanied with images actually do a lot better. People process that information three or four times faster if they’re looking at both images and text.”

“Don’t be afraid of using emojis, actually.”

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